Barclays Travel Insurance Review: Is This the Best for You?
Barclays Travel Insurance Review: Is This the Best for You?
Good for
- Older travellers (higher upper age limits)
- Pre-existing conditions
- Longer winter sports trips
- Cover for insolvency, baggage and catastrophe
Bad for
- Cover for cruises
The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.
Note: Barclays Travel Insurance by Cigna Insurance Services (Europe) Limited is no longer offering new policies. Barclays Current Account holders can still purchase Travel Packs which include worldwide family travel insurance and RAC Breakdown cover in the UK and Europe for a monthly fee.
Barclays travel insurance, available to you whether or not you bank at Barclays, is a good option if you just want to buy comprehensive cover without having to worry about add-ons. They include as standard features like End Supplier Failure, Insolvency, Airspace Closure, Baggage, Cancellation/Delay/Curtailment and Catastrophe. Winter Sports, Golf and Business cover can be added for extra. You'll notice higher-than-average upper age limits, especially for annual, multi-trip policies.
In this review we attempt to explain the particulars of Barclays travel insurance. We are not recommending any policy in particular. Finding the best travel insurance for you will depend upon your individual needs and situation. Compare travel insurance quotes by clicking the blue "Get Quotes" button below.
Barclays Travel Insurance Key Points
- No need to bank with Barclays
- Maximum trip limits: 31 days for annual, multi-trip (can extend), 185 days for single trips
- Those under 65 can extend annual cover to 45, 60 or 90 days for a fee
- Optional extras: Winter Sports, Golf and Business
- Higher Maximum Age limits: 85 years for annual multi-trip, unlimited for single trips, 65 for Winter Sports cover
- End Supplier Failure, Insolvency, Airspace Closure, Baggage, Cancellation/Delay/Curtailment, Catastrophe included
- Unlimited emergency medical expenses
- 20% discount for online applications
- Longer Winter Sports cover (up to 21 days)
- Most pre-existing conditions accepted if declared
- No cruise cover
In This Review
Barclays Travel Insurance Review: What You Need to Know
Barclays offers one Travel Insurance plan with the ability to increase Baggage and Cancellation cover (up to £5k and £10k, respectively) or add Winter Sports, Golf and Business cover. Barclays cover is comprehensive—included as standard on all policies are End Supplier Failure, Insolvency, Airspace Closure, Baggage, Cancellation/Delay/Curtailment, Catastrophe (e.g., fire, flood, earthquake or volcanic eruption), etc. Emergency medical cover is unlimited.
Does Barclays Travel Insurance Cover Trips in the UK? Holidays in the UK are covered with Barclays travel insurance, so long as you pre-booked at least 2 consecutive nights of accommodation.
Pre-Existing Conditions: Barclays may be able to offer cover for pre-existing medical conditions, for an added cost. If they are not able to offer cover for your pre-existing conditions, then claims arising as a result of those existing conditions would not be covered.
Over 65s: Single trip policies have NO upper age limit. The age limit for travellers on multi-trip policies is 84 (you can turn 85 during the period of insurance and still be covered). Winter Sports and extended annual cover (meaning cover for trips more than 31 days) are subject to a cap of 65 years of age.
Barclays Travel Insurance Customer Reviews
Barclays travel insurance, underwritten by Aviva, has been awarded with 3.79 out of 5 stars by 14 customers on Smart Money People. Here is a sample of positive and negative reviews that you might find helpful:
"... We were told that there was the 55 Euro excess to pay but then all other medical bills were sorted directly by Barclays - unlike many other insurers that only let you try to claim back later..."
"Excellent product. Easy to understand terms and conditions. No fuss claims process and good value for money."
"... My claim took 7 months to process... I was even made to pay further costs to help facilitate my claim or else as I was told, my claim wouldn’t go further... My costs increasingly became more than the cost of my claim eventually I was worse off financially after I started claiming..."
Barclays Price Comparison
According to our data research, prices of Barclays Multi-Trip Travel Insurance are roughly 20% higher than the average cost of travel insurance. However, Barclays policies include more comprehensive cover than many of the policies that contributed to the market average calculations.
For example, Barclays travel insurance policies include standard features such as Baggage, Trip Delay and Cancellation, Airspace Closure, Insolvency, End Supplier Failure and Substitute Accommodation/Transportation in the case of natural disaster (e.g., fire, flood, earthquake or volcanic eruption).
These prices reflect a 20% discount for online applications. Insurance quotes can vary significantly from day to day and according to each individual's details, so please just use the following data for general informational purposes only; your quotes may reflect a large degree of variation.
Barclays Single trip policies appear to be around 20% cheaper than market averages.
Travel Insurance for a Family
If you're travelling in a group or as a family, you may be interested to see a rough idea of prices for both single and multi-trip policies across different geographical locations like Europe and America. We gathered quotes for Barclays plans for a family of four—they'll pay on average 80% more for Barclays travel insurance than an individual would pay.
How Expensive is Barclays Travel Insurance for a Family of 4?
| Type | Geography | Family of Four Premium | Winter Sports Add-On Cost | Family of Four Total Premium, incl. Winter Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-Trip | Europe | £105 | £42 | £147 |
| Worldwide excl. USA, Canada, the Caribbean, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand or Australia | £156 | £49 | £204 | |
| Worldwide | £186 | £74 | £260 | |
Single Trip | France | £42 | £42 | £84 |
| South Africa | £49 | £62 | £111 | |
| USA | £55 | £55 | £110 |
Cost of Add-On Extras
Winter Sports, Golf and Business cover may be added for an extra cost to Barclays travel insurance plans. We've gathered quotes across geographies and types of policies to give you an idea of travel insurance add-on costs. Quotes were gathered for a 30-year-old individual traveller.
Added Cost of Winter Sports, Golf and Business Cover
| Type | Geography | Golf | Winter Sports | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-Trip | Europe | £14 | £22 | £21 |
| Worldwide excl. USA, Canada, the Caribbean, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand or Australia | £14 | £31 | £21 | |
| Worldwide | £14 | £37 | £21 | |
Single Trip | France | £7 | £16 | £10 |
| South Africa | £6 | £26 | £10 | |
| USA | £7 | £30 | £10 |
Notable Features
Here are some highlights of features available on Barclays travel insurance policies. Standard features like Medical and Personal Liability are also included on Barclays policies, limits for which can be found below in Policy Limits and Coverage Options. For more complete details like inner limits (e.g., the £400/item Valuables limit within Personal Belongings) and exclusions, please see the policy documents.
| Barclays Travel Insurance Features | |
|---|---|
| Winter Sports | Optional extra cover for up to 21 days of winter sports is available |
| Insolvency/End Supplier Failure | Cover up to £1,500 per insured person for irrecoverable flight costs or replacement return flights due to airline insolvency (not as part of a package holiday); cover up to £750 per insured person for irrecoverable costs due to insolvency of airport car parking, hire car/camper van, coach/ferry operator or excursions (including theme parks) |
| Baggage | Personal belongings and baggage cover of £500 (can be increase up to £5,000 for additional premium); Valuables are covered up to £400 per item, including mobile phones, watches, cameras, etc. |
| Golf | Optional cover for golf equipment up to £1,500; hired equipment covered up to £400 (£40/day) if your own golf clubs are delayed or misplaced by the airline; green fees up to £250; Hole-in-One payment of £75 if you score a hole-in-one in a competition |
| Scuba Diving | Covered up to a depth of 30 metres accompanied by a qualified diver or instructor |
| Airspace Closure | If you are unable to return home due to unexpected closure of an airport or airspace, cover of up to £100 per full 24 hours up to £1,500 until you reach home or your destination, up to £1,000 for additional travel expenses and up to £200 for replenishment prescription medications; part of the Enforced Stay section of cover |
| Trip Cancellation | Cover for irrevocable, unused travel and accommodation expenses under circumstances outside of your control; includes fire, flood, earthquake, explosion, hurricane, tsunami, landslide, avalanche, volcanic eruption or storm making your accommodation uninhabitable; failure of the tour operator is one of many exclusions |
| Trip Curtailment | Cover for the pro-rata cost of unused travel and accommodation expenses plus additional travel expenses incurred if you need to cut your trip short due to causes outside your control |
Types of Barclays Travel Insurance Policies
Barclays travel insurance for the general public (not limited to those who bank with Barclays) is offered as one simple plan with the ability to change cover limits for Cancellation (range of £250 to £10k) and Baggage (£250 up to £5k), plus you can alter the excess between £0 and £250 to suit your needs.
Winter Sports, Golf and Business cover can be added for an additional cost.
Barclays Single Trip: Barclays Single Trip travel insurance covers trips up to 185 days abroad.
Barclays Annual Multi-Trip: Barclays annual, multi-trip policies cover any number of trips a policy year, up to 31 days each. Those under age 65 can change the maximum trip duration to 24, 45, 60 or 90 days with the premium increasing for longer trips.
Standard cover limits are listed in the following table, but be sure to read the policy documents for details of specific inner limits.
Cover Limits (Single & Annual Multi-Trip) per Insured Traveller
| Cover feature | Standard Cover Limit, up to |
|---|---|
| Medical expenses | Unlimited |
| Hospital benefit | £1,000 |
| Personal accident | £25,000 |
| Travel delay | £125 |
| Missed departure | £750 |
| Substitute accommodation | £3,000 |
| Enforced stay | £1,500 |
| End supplier failure | £750 |
| Cancellation | £750 (can increase up to £10,000) |
| Baggage delay | £500 |
| Baggage (£400 per item limit) | £500 (can increase up to £5,000) |
| Personal money | £500 |
| Loss of passport / Driving License | £1,000 |
| Mugging | £1,000 |
| Hijack | £1,000 |
| Personal liability | £2,000,000 |
| Legal expenses | £25,000 |
Cover Limits for OPTIONAL Winter Sports Travel Insurance
| Cover Feature | Cover Limit, up to |
|---|---|
| Lost, stolen or damaged ski equipment | £1,000 (single article/pair limit of £250) |
| Replacement equipment hire | £500 |
| Piste Closure | £250 (£25/day) |
| Unused Ski Pack if you're Ill or Injured (i.e., ski school fees, lift passes and hired ski equipment) | £400 |
| Avalanche delay (travel & accommodation) | £500 |
Cover Limits for OPTIONAL Golf Travel Insurance
| Cover Feature | Cover Limit, up to |
|---|---|
| Damaged, lost, or stolen golf equipment | £1,500 |
| Replacement equipment hire | £400 (£40 per full 24 hrs) |
| Lost green fees | £250 |
| Hole-In-One | £75 |
Please read some of our Travel Insurance Guides if you're trying to decide between Single Trip or Multi-Trip policies, learn about What May Not be Covered by Travel Insurance or decide if you Need Travel Insurance or Not.